Jane Wenham-Jones (1962–2021)

I read this book in super fast time, basically because I devoured it! I needed to know what was going to happen next. The author kept us all guessing as to the potential outcome/s, which is essential in any book. I loved the characters. I cringed at the miscommunication - we've all done that to friends, or had it done to us. I ended up hating who know who (can't say who, as I don't want to spoil it for others).
I enjoyed Jane's writing, her characters, and her plot immensely.
I wouldn't show more hesitate to recommend this to other women in their 40's!!! Read it. You'll love it, and no doubt you'll recognise bits of yourself in it. And maybe it just helped me put on my trainers and go for a quick walk round the block!!!
Loved it, and look forward to Laura's next adventures! I hope she has more. show less

Rather different to this average book about writing, this one is full of anecdotes, humour - some of it rather risque - and a great deal of advice to drink heavily and eat a lot of chocolate. Clearly not all to be taken seriously, but I found it very readable and quite inspiring in places. The author doesn't try to inflate her experiences or suggest that getting published is just a matter of hard slog and brilliance; nor does she focus on layouts or grammar or even how to construct plots. show more Instead she looks at reasons why people might become writers, and suggests pretty much any outlet (greetings cards, film strips, restaurant critiques...) rather than producing a novel.

Then there's some general good advice to those who are determined to go ahead, punctuated with more anecdotes and suggestions, and then a brief overview of how to get published. Perhaps. I read the first half over just a few days before getting a bit bogged down in the final chapters, not realising (since my version was a Kindle freebie) that the end of the book is simply pages and pages of quotations about writing from other writers. I read the first twenty or so then got bored, and skipped through the rest.

Worth perusing for anyone who is interested in an honest, often self-deprecating account of the life of a writer, with some humour, some bad language, and much that should be taken with a huge pinch of salt. show less

Wannabe a writer we’ve heard of? is an indispensible guide for any new author wanting to be sure that their great work is read by more than just their mum and next door neighbours. Jane Wenham-Jones is a romance author who describes herself as a media tart, getting on TV and radio, into newspapers, in front of audiences and anything else that will help promote her books. This book is therefore packed full of her own experiences explaining what has worked for her, as well as what she’s show more seen work for others. There’s a wealth of good information in here, a lot of which I wish I’d read a couple of years ago. A lot of things she explains around preparing for your book’s launch are things I’ve either had to figure out for myself or wish I’d known back when my novel was a looming publication date.

Don’t be put off by the genre of her novels if you write something different; the vast majority of the advice she provides can apply equally well to all genres of fiction as well as non-fiction books.

This book covers a range of topics, from book launch parties to press releases, networking to WI talks, radio to TV. All of these subjects are treated in the same light-hearted manner, making it an enjoyable read as well as extremely informative. There are plenty of anecdotes to make you chuckle, and some examples of the worst that might happen. If you live in fear of arranging a book signing and having no one show it, it’s comforting to read quotes from a famous author describing how exactly that happened in their early days.

In a lot of ways, for someone working hard at book promotion, this book is worth its cost just for the comfort of knowing that everyone else has to work at it too. I would heartily recommend this book, particularly if you are in the process of having a first book published. show less

This story is told through the point of view of three women, Clare, Anna and Ellie. Clare and Anna are middle aged and married with men that are couple of decades their senior. Anna's husband Jeremy is getting old and frail. Clare's husband Rupe has just retired and drinks heavily. Clare's daughter Ellie has just met Tom, who is twenty years older. We get to be part of their lives for a couple of months. All of the three women contemplate their lives and relationships. What is it like to be show more in your prime while your husband is aging and getting decrepit? Is there something that needs to change?
This is a real feel-good story. All characters are lovely, even though some of them may appear quite brusque at first. Family and friends are important and I was keeping fingers crossed that everything would turn out well in the end.
I like the writing style and how the author uses words. It's like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a comfy sofa.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for a copy of this book. show less